CBS reporter blasts Obama claim that AQ “on its heels”

posted at 12:41 pm on October 9, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

As the RNC pointed out earlier today, we’ve had eight mentions of Big Bird and five of Elmo from Barack Obama and his team since the presidential debate last Wednesday, but we’ve heard nothing about Benghazi or Libya. However, Obama did finally talk about terrorism last night at a fundraiser in San Francisco. Included in his by-now familiar chest thumping over the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, the President made a curious claim about the status of al-Qaeda in light of the events last month:

“Now, four years ago, I made a few commitments to you. I told you I’d end the war in Iraq, and I did. I said I’d end the war in Afghanistan, and we are,” said Obama. “I said we’d refocus on the people who actually attacked us on 9/11 — and today, al Qaeda is on its heels and Osama bin Laden is no more.”

The extraordinary thing about Obama’s claim is that it was made less than a month after al Qaeda carried out a terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya that killed the American ambassador to that country, as well as three other Americans. That attack coincided with the same day–9/11–of al Qaeda’s most successful attack again America, which happened 11 years earlier in New York City.

More over, in the same month, al Qaeda carried out at least 3 other successful attacks against American embassies abroad.

“[T]he U.S. consulate in Libya was not the only diplomatic facility assaulted by al Qaeda-affiliated groups in September,” Thomas Joscelyn reported. “Terrorists with ties to al Qaeda’s senior leaders, including al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri, were involved in at least three other U.S. embassy sieges in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, and possibly elsewhere.”

Clearly, AQ isnot “on its heels,” as Obama claims. In fact, AQ and other radical Islamist terror networks now have a lot more room to operate in eastern Libya, thanks to the NATO effort led by Obama to decapitate the Qaddafi regime without controlling events on the ground. That led directly to the attacks on Western consulates in Benghazi over the last several months, culminating in AQ’s first successful mission against a US diplomatic mission in 14 years, as well as the three lesser-known involvement in embassy sieges noted by Joscelyn.

Nor is the Weekly Standard the only media outlet reporting on this. CBS’ Lara Logan, a 60 Minutes correspondent who was sexually assaulted while reporting on the protests in Tahrir Square in February 2011, told a Chicago audience over the weekend that not only is AQ not “on its heels,” it’s making a comeback, along with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan — and that those saying otherwise are propagating a “major lie” (via Katie Pavlich):

Eleven years later, “they” still hate us, now more than ever, Logan told the crowd. The Taliban and al-Qaida have not been vanquished, she added. They’re coming back.

“I chose this subject because, one, I can’t stand, that there is a major lie being propagated . . .” Logan declared in her native South African accent.

The lie is that America’s military might has tamed the Taliban. …

“There is this narrative coming out of Washington for the last two years,” Logan said. It is driven in part by “Taliban apologists,” who claim “they are just the poor moderate, gentler, kinder Taliban,” she added sarcastically. “It’s such nonsense!”

Logan stepped way out of the “objective,” journalistic role. The audience was riveted as she told of plowing through reams of documents, and interviewing John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan; Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and a Taliban commander trained by al-Qaida. The Taliban and al-Qaida are teaming up and recruiting new terrorists to do us deadly harm, she reports.

She made a passionate case that our government is downplaying the strength of our enemies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a rationale of getting us out of the longest war. We have been lulled into believing that the perils are in the past: “You’re not listening to what the people who are fighting you say about this fight. In your arrogance, you think you write the script.”

Logan has a prescription for that:

Logan even called for retribution for the recent terrorist killings of Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three other officials. The event is a harbinger of our vulnerability, she said. Logan hopes that America will “exact revenge and let the world know that the United States will not be attacked on its own soil. That its ambassadors will not be murdered, and that the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it.”

It’s been four weeks since that attack. We’ve spent a grand total of twelve hours on the ground in Benghazi since in an attempt to track down the terrorists who conducted the attack. So far, at least, it doesn’t appear that Logan’s advice carries the day at the Obama White House, where instead they spin fantasies of terrorist networks vanishing while the ruins of our Benghazi consulate still smolder.

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Obomb-a didn’t end the war in Iraq. The Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was signed into law before he was elected, the Senate approved and the Iraqi Parliament passed it as well – all before Barry stepped into the oval office.

The event is a harbinger of our vulnerability, she said. Logan hopes that America will “exact revenge and let the world know that the United States will not be attacked on its own soil. That its ambassadors will not be murdered, and that the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it.”

What a beautiful, and intentional, bit#h slapping of The Commie and The Unmade Bed.

Consulates and Embassies are considered American territory. One of the few things the federal government should be doing is protecting US territory…actual US territory not some other country like South Korea, the EU or Kuwait. This lady is actually right…and kinda hot.

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“Now, four years ago, I made a few commitments to you. I told you I’d end the war in Iraq, and I did. I said I’d end the war in Afghanistan, and we are,” said Obama. “I said we’d refocus on the people who actually attacked us on 9/11 — and today, al Qaeda is on its heels and Osama bin Laden is no more.”
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But then again, team Obama is a little confused about issues such as Truth.

“Now, four years ago, I made a few commitments to you. I told you I’d end the war in Iraq, and I did. I said I’d end the war in Afghanistan, and we are,” said Obama. “I said we’d refocus on the people who actually attacked us on 9/11 — and today, al Qaeda is on its heels and Osama bin Laden is no more.”

Let go through the lies and dangerous foreign policy in Obama statement:

Obama did not end the Iraq war. The SOFA agreement to withdraw the troops from Iraq and end the war was signed by President Bush. Also Al-Qaeda is not on its heels. They are still as dangerous as ever. We are ending the war in Afghanistan but what are the ends results. So far if we leave Afghanistan with its present situation it certain that the Taliban.

Regarding the killing of Bin Laden, it was not Obama who killed him it was our brave military and intelligence agencies who killed and this has been in the work since September 2001. Obama was playing golf during that day and they have to call the fool from the damn golf course and put a jacket on him to take a photop in the situation room during the Bin Laden raid. What type of President goes and plays golf on a very critical day where our troops are going into a very dangeous mission to kill Bin Laden?

Or maybe she just knows what she’s talking about, has experienced the evils of Islam first hand (she was raped while on assignment in Tahrir Square in February 2011), and can’t stand to see the 0bama machine lying about the dangers that exist in the Middle East?

Maybe Hillary and obummer think our territory at the overseas missions are the sign of a kind of US imperialism, something leftists loath. How tragic that would be if leftists continue to be in charge in government. Let’s vote them out. We have seen enough.

Apparently, someone in the White House forgot to send AQ the memo that their organization was supposed to be “on their heels”……

BTW, “on their heels” is a boxing term, a metaphor most likely lost upon the Arab world. However, the bottom of the shoe in the Arab world is a quite dirty and insulting metaphor. I would hope that the sensitivities of the Arab world take offense at the use of this metaphor since they are so easily incensed at other nonsensical trivialities like youtube clips.

“Logan hopes that America will “exact revenge and let the world know that the United States will not be attacked on its own soil. That its ambassadors will not be murdered, and that the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it.”

Obama did not end the Iraq war. The SOFA agreement to withdraw the troops from Iraq and end the war was signed by President Bush. Also Al-Qaeda is not on its heels. They are still as dangerous as ever. We are ending the war in Afghanistan but what are the ends results. So far if we leave Afghanistan with its present situation it certain that the Taliban.

Regarding the killing of Bin Laden, it was not Obama who killed him it was our brave military and intelligence agencies who killed and this has been in the work since September 2001. Obama was playing golf during that day and they have to call the fool from the damn golf course and put a jacket on him to take a photop in the situation room during the Bin Laden raid. What type of President goes and plays golf on a very critical day where our troops are going into a very dangeous mission to kill Bin Laden?

mnjg on October 9, 2012 at 1:01 PM

The lies are even worse than that – Obama opposed The Surge that won the war in Iraq and he scrubbed the mission to kill bin Laden 3 times.

This CBS reporter woman is just lying so much now that Obama’s Ministry of Messaging is just stunned, not even knowing where to begin unraveling all her racist lies. She just hates Obama because he’s black.

Obama theenks we are “on our heels” ??? What…what? So, he thinks we are the bottom of a shoe? Allahu Akbar, where are my RPGs, where are my mortar teams, call the jihadis, we are going to behead somebody today!!!!!
/AQ

In the foreign policy debate, moderated by Scheiffer, Romney should point out at some point that Obama’s out there saying he’s got AQ on its heels, then point out the embassy attacks by AQ and finish by quoting Logan’s words about them lying to the American people, attributing them specifically to “your 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan”.

I really hate that she had to learn about these barbarians the way she did, but I appreciate her having the guts to speak out about it and thus shame almost all of her colleagues.

“Logan hopes that America will “exact revenge and let the world know that the United States will not be attacked on its own soil. That its ambassadors will not be murdered, and that the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it.”

When is the last time you ever heard a journalist express such a strong pro-American sentiment?

Logan even called for retribution for the recent terrorist killings of Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three other officials. The event is a harbinger of our vulnerability, she said. Logan hopes that America will “exact revenge and let the world know that the United States will not be attacked on its own soil. That its ambassadors will not be murdered, and that the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it.”

Good for you, Lara Logan! A brave woman willing to tell the truth, even if she gets raped for it.

Let’s take her argument to its logical conclusion. If “the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it”, we need a new President and Commander in Chief who WILL do something about it.

She made a passionate case that our government is downplaying the strength of our enemies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a rationale of getting us out of the longest war. We have been lulled into believing that the perils are in the past: “You’re not listening to what the people who are fighting you say about this fight. In your arrogance, you think you write the script.”

Is this a case of a liberal who converts to conservatism after they’ve been mugged,…er raped????

Good for you, Lara.
A liberal not drinking the Kool-aid. It broke my heart when she attacked in Egypt. It made me hate those people even more.
Why in the hell are we giving money to this goat molesters?

I think Obummer will retaliate. He just waits, because the closer it’ll happen to election day, the better for his campaign.

Valkyriepundit on October 9, 2012 at 1:08 PM

Oh yes; you wait. Another bad debate or maybe a good one to build momentum and we will see “strong on terrorism” obama come out big time. Probably a series of highly publicized drone strikes on targets we’ve been monitoring, possibly including ones that aren’t verified but will get lost in the “blitz.” A regular shock and awe on AQ (and anything remotely associated).

‘Course that will beg the question of why he didn’t do such a thing sooner, but that. too, will be lost in the moment.

If I were living anywhere near Benghazi and had a name with more than one or two letters shared with anyone who might, no matter how remotely, have been connected to the attack in question, I would keep a sharp eye out for a drone.

A desperate man will do desperate things and, at the moment, Barack Obama is desperate. He will not stop at firing a few missiles at anything that moves in that region and claim that he has “decapitated” the head of the group responsible for the Benghazi attack. Even though there was no attack and the FBI’s 3 hour investigation two weeks or so later has yielded exactly what should have been expected: “Yep, somebody definitely blew this place to s*** and back.”

It depresses me that this man has forced my opinion of him down to this level. I’ve always known he was a clueless fiction wrapped up and sold like snake oil to the rubes in the Wild West. But, diabolical was not on the list.

I may get flogged for saying this here, but my fear that the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley would be just more of the same tripe after Katie Couric hasn’t come true. It still is VERY selective in what it chooses to cover, but a couple of their correspondents are doing some old fashioned journalism.

Lara Logan has been doing first rate REPORTING and analysis from the Middle East and Afghanistan. She is willing to bump heads with people and ask the uncomfortable questions of those in power – whether a US General or President Karzai.

On domestic issues I have seen Sharyl Attkisson be the only MSM network reporter to investigate and follow Fast & Furious.

Maybe there is a glimmer of hope that CBS may realize that it could distinguish itself by turning to objective reporting of the news. We can only hope.

How about we just cut off all of their aid and get the hell out of there?

JPeterman on October 9, 2012 at 12:52 PM

Define ‘aid’.

Its not enough to prevent things with ‘aid’ in the title.

You must also include cash for oil. It wouldn’t bother me one whit if the Straits of Hormuz were blocked, completely shut down to shipping for a very long time.

It’ll be hell for us for a while, but it will absolutely destroy the economics of the Middle East. At some point, the only question that would be asked when a young jihadi is handed a suicide vest will be:

“Now, four years ago, I made a few commitments to you. I told you I’d end the war in Iraq, and I did. I said I’d end the war in Afghanistan, and we are,” said Obama. “I said we’d refocus on the people who actually attacked us on 9/11 — and today, al Qaeda is on its heels and Osama bin Laden is no more.”

You noticed Logan says “retribution” and “revenge”, not “nation building”, and “liberating”, “understanding”, “winning hearts and minds”, and other idiotic phrases used by Obama and before him Bush….
Retribution and Revenge….that is the only thing these jokers understand. It goes far beyond AQ and the Taliban.
William Eaton on October 9, 2012 at 1:24 PM

And in an earlier age, so did we. I think Mark Steyn was right about the psychological effects of raising to many y
of our young on Big Bird and Mr. Rogers’s emasculated persona.

You must also include cash for oil. It wouldn’t bother me one whit if the Straits of Hormuz were blocked, completely shut down to shipping for a very long time.

It’ll be hell for us for a while, but it will absolutely destroy the economics of the Middle East. At some point, the only question that would be asked when a young jihadi is handed a suicide vest will be:

“Hey….is this edible?”

BobMbx on October 9, 2012 at 1:25 PM

I’d gladly pay $10 bucks for a gallon of petrol if I knew it would sink the ME economy and force the U.S. to drill here, drill now.